Frequently Asked Questions

Ottawa-area price pages published in 2025 and 2026 put a plain broom-finish slab at about $9 to $15 per square foot installed, and two of them say small jobs often hit a minimum charge of about $5,500. Stamped work runs roughly $15 to $45+ per square foot and exposed aggregate about $13 to $28. These are published figures read in September 2026, not fixed rates, so get at least two written quotes.

Published Ontario prices for a poured set of 3 to 5 steps run about $2,500 to $5,000 and up. Landings, railings, removal of the old steps and footings or piers for taller steps move the price. Ask for each of those as its own line on the quote.

The work described in writing, the total price, payment terms and an itemized list including taxes. For concrete, also ask for the slab thickness and base depth (the Building Code does not set them for patios or walks), the concrete strength, the finish, control joints, removal and disposal, and what happens if the weather turns cold. If the contract is negotiated in your home, Ontario's Consumer Protection Act requires it in writing over $50, with a 10-day cancellation right.

The City of Ottawa lists landscaping among projects that do not need a building permit, and its patio page exempts a patio supported directly on the ground when its listed conditions are met. Designated heritage properties are not exempt. Steps, landings and retaining walls over 1 m are different: the City's landscaping guide says stairs and landings that provide access to a building can need a permit. Zoning rules on soft landscaping still apply.

Since March 1, 2026, the City of Ottawa requires a hardscaping contractor licence for businesses that install or alter concrete pads, patios, walkways, steps, driveways and retaining walls on private property. Licence holders must carry at least $2,000,000 of commercial general liability insurance and give clients the City's Landscaping Education Guide. Ask to see the licence and check the City's list yourself; we do not check it. We found no provincial concrete contractor licence. The by-law excludes some work, including sealing only of driveways or parking areas and "minor repairs or minor alterations", which it does not define.

On April 8, 2026 the City enacted the Access By-law (No. 2026-139), which replaced the Private Approach By-law. It covers driveway and walkway accesses in the City right of way, the strip between your property and the road. A permit ($208 standard in 2026) is needed to build, alter or remove an access, and a road cut permit as well. Resurfacing an access with no change to its location, size or grading is exempt.

The 2024 Ontario Building Code (O. Reg. 163/24) sets at least 32 MPa at 28 days for garage floors, carport floors and all exterior flatwork, with a water-to-cement ratio no higher than 0.45 (Div. B, 9.3.1.6. and 9.3.1.7.). Site-batched concrete for those uses needs 5 to 8% entrained air; ready-mix follows CSA A23.1, which the Code references.

We found no thickness for a patio, walkway or driveway in the 2024 Ontario Building Code. The Code's 75 mm minimum is for floors-on-ground such as garage and basement slabs (9.16.4.3.). For a patio or walk, the thickness and the base depth come from your contractor's specification, so ask for both in writing.

Yes, with protection. When the air is below 5 °C, the 2024 Ontario Building Code says concrete must be kept between 10 °C and 25 °C while it is mixed and placed, and at not less than 10 °C for 72 hours after placing; frozen material and ice must not be used (9.3.1.9.). Ask how the contractor will do that, and whether it is in the price.

Thin flakes coming off the surface is called scaling. The National Research Council's digest on concrete in winter says it occurs mainly on pavements, sidewalks and other horizontal surfaces and is most severe where de-icing salts are used. A contractor can tell you whether the surface can be repaired or resurfaced, or whether the slab needs replacing.

It depends on the steps. Under the 2024 Ontario Building Code, steps with 1 or 2 risers can sit on the ground, but concrete stairs with more than 2 risers and 2 treads must be supported on walls or piers to foundation depth or be cantilevered from the house foundation (9.8.9.2.). Ask for a written diagnosis of why they moved before choosing a repair or a rebuild.

We found no government rule for walking or driving on new concrete. The Building Code's strength figure is measured at 28 days. The Ready Mixed Concrete Association of Ontario's driveway maintenance guidance says to keep vehicles off for at least 7 days, wait at least 30 days before sealing and avoid de-icing chemicals in the first winter; that is industry guidance, so follow your contractor's instructions.

In Ottawa, ask to see the City hardscaping licence and check the City's list of licensed contractors. Get a written contract and the City's Landscaping Education Guide, which licensed contractors give clients. Ask who books the utility locates, whether removal and disposal are included, and what happens if the slab cracks. We do not verify or screen contractors.

If you hire a contractor directly for your own home, WSIB's home renovation exemption means you are not required to get a clearance certificate, though you can still ask for one. The exemption does not cover a rental property, and it does not apply to subcontractors the contractor hires.

You describe the job on our form and we pass it to local concrete contractors in the Ottawa area. It is free for homeowners. We are a matching service, not a concrete company, and we do not verify or screen the contractors who contact you.

Yes. Ontario's locates law says an excavator, which includes an individual who digs or grades, must not dig until a locate request has been submitted and the utilities have responded. Locates are free, and Ontario One Call now operates as Ontario Dig Authority. Submit a request at least 5 business days before you dig.

The City's Trail Waste Facility takes fill, including concrete without rebar, at $144 per tonne above 250 kg in 2026, with a $36 minimum for smaller loads; it must be free of waste including metal. Whether a contractor's load is accepted there is not stated, so ask whether disposal is in your quote.

Work in the City right of way falls under the Access By-law (No. 2026-139). A residential walkway access can be built without a permit only when it meets the by-law's conditions, including a width of no more than 1.8 metres and no change to the curb or sidewalk; otherwise an access permit and a road cut permit are needed. Zoning also caps a front walkway at 1.8 metres.